The United Nations is set to vote today on a resolution demanding Israel ends its “unlawful presence” in Gaza within the next year.
The resolution will be put to 193-member state representatives, who are expected to vote at 11 a.m. EDT.
Israel’s presence in Gaza is approaching the one-year mark since Hamas stormed Israel on Oct. 7, taking hostages in the process.
The Palestinian’s U.N. ambassador Riyad Mansour opened Tuesday’s assembly meeting saying Israel poses an “existential threat” and has held them “in shackles.”
He proposes an end to Israeli occupation in order to pave the way to liberate all Palestinians from fear of harm.
Palestinians walk past destruction and a United Nations vehicle in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sept. 10, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. Each of the UN’s 194 member states will have the chance to vote on Israel’s withdrawal from Palestine later today.
EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images
Though the resolution wouldn’t be legally binding, it will paint a picture of where each member state stands on the conflict.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador, described the motion as an act of “diplomatic terrorism.”
He urged fellow members to reject the resolution, as it “ignores the truth, twists the facts and replaces reality with fiction” in omitting the actions of Hamas.
“Instead of a resolution condemning the rape and massacre committed by Hamas on Oct. 7, we gather here to watch the Palestinians’ U.N. circus—a circus where evil is righteous, war is peace, murder is justified and terror is applauded,” he said.
There are no vetoes in the General Assembly, unlike in the 15-member Security Council.
The forcible displacement of the remaining Palestinian herding communities would further “open” large swathes of land for the development of Israeli outposts and settlements, consolidating Israel’s unlawful annexation of large parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and…
— UN Human Rights Palestine (@OHCHR_Palestine) September 17, 2024
In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s occupation must end, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “decision of lies.”
The U.N’s top court said Israel had no right to sovereignty over the Palestinian territories and was violating international laws against acquiring the lands by force. This is also not legally binding.
Mansour stressed that any country that thinks the Palestinian people “will accept a life of servitude” or that claims peace is possible without a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “not being realistic.”
He believes Israel won’t pay any attention to collective bargaining.
The original time limit of Israel’s withdrawal was placed at six months and later revised following recommendations from other member nations.
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Representative of the United States to the United Nations, speaks during a U.N. Security Council meeting on situation in the Middle East at the United Nations headquarters on Aug. 22, 2024 in New York City. She says the U.N. proposal fails to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization and contains substantial flaws.
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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas Greenfield has indicated that they will not support the motion.
She told reporters the proposal goes beyond the ICJ ruling and contains “a significant number of flaws,” failing to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.
“In our view, the resolution does not bring about tangible benefits across the board for the Palestinian people,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
“I think it could complicate the situation on the ground, complicate what we’re trying to do to end the conflict, and I think it impedes reinvigorating steps toward a two-state solution.”
The resolution demands that Israel compensate Palestinians for the harm caused by its occupation.
It also urges nations to take measures to prevent trade or investments that support Israel’s presence in the territories.
Additionally, it calls for Israel to be held accountable for any breaches of international law, and sanctions imposed on those responsible for maintaining Israel’s presence in the territories.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
